Contact: Jeanne Carpenter, 608-358-7837
MADISON, Wis. – Following a wildly successful, sold-out debut last year, the Annual Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival is set to expand to a three day event this year, offering attendees more tours, seminars, dinners, and the chance to try and buy hundreds of the state’s finest artisan, farmstead and specialty cheeses.
After 700 tickets sold out last year in just three weeks to cheese enthusiasts and dairy buyers from around the country, organizer Jeanne Carpenter said this year, she will expand the festival to a three-day event. Slated for Nov. 5 – 7, at the Monona Terrace in downtown Madison, more than 1,200 tickets will be available for a wide array of events, including creamery and dairy farm tours, private cheesemaker dinners, seminars, a Meet the Cheesemaker Gala Reception, and a new Sunday Artisan Marketplace.
Hosted by Wisconsin Cheese Originals, the festival is becoming a premier destination for cheese enthusiasts and food buyers from across the nation. “There is no doubt that today, Wisconsin cheesemakers are viewed as the leader of the artisan cheese movement,” Carpenter said. “This festival is a celebration of their work, and the perfect venue for the public to taste hundreds of artisan, farmstead and specialty cheeses.”
Festival events include:
* Friday Tours & Dine Around: Take a tour of a creamery or a dairy plant during the day, and that evening, experience a culinary sensation at one of seven participating Madison Originals restaurants. Each chef will partner with a local cheesemaker and host a one-of-a-kind three-course dinner. You’ll join the featured cheesemaker at a private table for 12. Tickets range from $55 – $75 per person.
* Saturday Seminars: Choose from a stunning line-up of eight seminars. Enjoy wine, beer, rum, chocolate & cheese pairings. Learn the art of building the perfect cheese plate. Discover a new era of blue cheeses and meet the next generation of Wisconsin cheesemakers. You’ll be a cheese geek by the end of the day. Tickets range from $25 – $40 per seminar.
* Saturday Night Meet the Cheesemaker Gala Reception: Shake hands and talk shop with 35 Wisconsin rock star cheesemakers. Sample 150 original cheeses, network with foodies and enjoy your favorite wine or microbrew. Tickets: $28.
* Sunday Artisan Marketplace: Showcasing 60 of the state’s finest artisan cheesemakers, gourmet and specialty food companies, and artists in a farmer’s market setting. Attendees may sample and purchase product. Tickets: $12, includes an insulated cooler bag for cheese purchases.
All events require advance tickets, to go on sale in September. Visit http://www.wicheesefest.com to learn more.
Wisconsin Cheese Originals thanks this year’s festival sponsors: Klondike Cheese, World Import Distributors, BelGioioso Cheese, Emmi-Roth Kase USA, Fromagination, Dairy Business Innovation Center, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Hook’s Cheese, Planning Options, Uplands Cheese and Widmer’s Cheese Cellars.
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Wisconsin Cheese Originals shares information about Wisconsin artisan cheeses through a variety of events, including educational seminars, tours, cheesemaker receptions, and an annual cheese festival, all in the spirit of celebrating Wisconsin cheesemakers. For more information or to inquire about membership: http://www.wisconsincheeseoriginals.com
